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Despite the worrying statistics, more than two-thirds of women
believe they are healthier than the postwar generation, found Saga, the
older people’s organisation which carried out the research.

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘Sixty years ago your
middle-aged housewife was undoubtedly healthier than her counterpart of
today – provided she didn’t smoke.

‘Because of the lack of labour-saving housekeeping gadgets, her
household chores helped her to burn off nearly twice the number of
calories than does her routine to-day.

'If the average woman today is burning off only 556 calories but
consuming more than the recommended 2,000 per day, it shouldn’t surprise
anyone if she is getting less than healthy.

‘She may indeed be eating less saturated fat but, by just eating more
food and exercising less, she will be piling on the pounds.

‘Unfortunately, that may well lead to her acquiring co-morbidities
[additional disorders] caused by excess weight and for which medication
will be necessary.

‘The message is clear: eat less and exercise more to live the rest of your life free from the drugs cabinet.’

Katharine Jenner, of Consensus Action on Salt and Health, said: ‘If
we could get back to the essence of home cooking and unprocessed food
that was the norm in post-war Britain, and continue not to add salt
during cooking and at the table, we would see the enormous
health-related benefits of reduced stroke and heart disease mortality
and morbidity.

‘It’s a great opportunity to try eating less salt.’

Saga also expressed concern the over-50s take less exercise than they did just 20 years ago.

Just 38 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women between 45 and 54 meet daily recommendations for physical activity.

CALORIES EATEN AND BURNED - 1951 AND TODAY

1951

7am: She wakes early, primping before her husband stirs. She lays out his shirts and dresses the children.

8am: On to breakfast – toast, butter and a boiled egg [220 calories] – which the family eats together.

8am: She washes the dishes while listening to Housewives’ Choice on the radio. (84 calories)

8.30am: She kisses her husband farewell at the door, before taking a brisk walk with the children to school. [280 calories burned]

9.30: A visit to the shops takes a while, as she meanders between the butchers, bakers and greengrocers. [280 calories burned]

10.30: Back home she puts the shopping away. To supplement the larder, home grown vegetables are key, so she digs some swede and turnips from the patch in the garden. [175 calories burned]

11.00: Time for tea and a biscuit for elevenses [200 calories] with Mrs Dale’s Diary on the radio. Her husband is home at midday, so she dons a flower pinny and starts preparing a lunch of corned beef sandwiches [430 calories]. He’s home briefly and they eat together

1pm: She hand washes clothes worn the day before and hangs them to dry. Then on to dusting and sweeping the house. [450 calories burned]

3.30pm: She walks to and from the school to collect the children. [280 calories burned]

5.30pm: The table is perfectly set for when her husband arrives home, and the family eats together.

6.30pm: After dinner, dishes are washed and the dining room is cleared. She brings the washing inside. The tin bath is filled with warmed water and the children are scrubbed and dressed. [150 calories burned]

8pm: The family plays dominoes. Listening to the radio, she darns school socks.

10pm: She and her husband prepare for bed.

TOTAL EATEN: 1,993CALORIES BURNT: 1,139

2011

7am: She wakes up and get dressed before a quick breakfast of toast and honey [378 calories]

8am: She jumps in the car and drives to work.

9am: She parks outside the building and settles at her desk, only moving to collect snacks - chocolate and crisps [400 calories].

12.30: She eats lunch at her desk - toast and full fat cheese spread and a chocolate biscuit [250 calories] - where she remains until the end of work.

5.30: After leaving the office, she heads to the gym for an hour of water aerobics [250 calories burned].

7.30: She gets in the car to drive home. She’s got a full freezer and a Tesco delivery coming tomorrow, so no need to stop at the shops.

8.30: She puts on the washing machine before making and eat dinner - home-made chicken curry, rice and naan bread, followed by chocolate [1150 calories eaten, 162 burned]. She loads the dishwasher.

9.30: She folds her clothes and tidies the lounge [100 calories burned]. She sits and watches television.

11pm: Off to bed, where she uses Facebook for an hour before going to sleep.